Mazda is well-known for its ability to engineer fun into the most ordinary cars. The Mazda 3 is especially noteworthy for this, offering a chassis that you would assume would only come on a car with a Mazdaspeed badge. At the same time, the automaker is becoming more and more premium every year while passing on new technology and ideas to customers around the world. What's more, the Mazda 3 was recently honored for its outstanding infotainment system.
And now it's time to see what the automaker has in store for the 2023 model year, and we're happy to report that the news is good: more power and better fuel economy.
2023 hatchbacks will arrive at dealerships in the fall, with sedan models to follow in the winter. Whichever you choose, those with the 2.5-liter naturally aspirated Skyactiv-G engine will be able to enjoy five horsepower more, for a total of 191 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque. And that's whether you fill up on 87 or 93 octane fuel. Better still, unlike in the old days, adding power to an engine does not necessarily mean worse fuel economy anymore.
In fact, Mazda has further refined the engine and says that updated cylinder deactivation technology has made the vehicle more efficient in specific operating conditions. The operating conditions of the EPA's tests seem ideal, as the agency estimates figures of 28/37/31 mpg on the city/highway/combined cycles.
The highly popular Carbon Edition is now available with AWD, but a six-speed manual remains the transmission of choice. If you want a manual, the 2.5 S Premium hatch is where you ought to look. For those who want more power, the Turbo engine is still available with 250 hp and 320 lb-ft on premium fuel and 227 hp/310lb-ft on 87 octane. Unfortunately, you only get two trims to choose from with this engine - the 2.5 Turbo and the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus - and both come with automatic gearboxes. These models are exclusively available with AWD, so forget about performing burnouts.
Since there's no 2.0-liter model anymore, we'll begin unpacking the pricing with the 2.5 S sedan. This costs $22,550, up from $21,750 for the 2022 model. Next is the 2.5 S Select Package, which is now $23,950, up from $23,100. The S Preferred Package retails for $25,550, up from $24,750. Unlike 2022 models, an AWD version is no longer available on this trim. The S Carbon Edition in FWD now costs $27,200, an increase of $800. The new AWD variant will set you back $28,600. With all of these trims, the hatchback costs $1,000 more.
For the 2.5 S Premium Package, the only manual-equipped option in the range, a hatchback with FWD is the singular available configuration. This costs $29,150, up from $28,350 for the new year. Alternatively, you can have an automatic sedan with AWD for $29,400 or a hatch with the auto for $30,400.
2022's automatic FWD versions are gone, and the AWD variants cost $650 more for 2023.
Finally, we move on to the boosted options, starting with the 2.5 Turbo AWD hatch for $32,450, up from $31,550 for 2022. The sedan variant of this trim is now gone, but you can have the body style with the range-topping 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus, which now costs a nice, round $34,000 in sedan form (up from $33,100) and $35,300 in hatchback form (up from $34,400). All prices exclude destination and handling charges, which have also increased slightly. For 2022, the cost was $1,015 in the lower 48 states and Hawaii and $1,060 in Alaska. In 2023, these have increased to $1,065 and $1,110, respectively.
Thankfully, the prices of optional paints have not risen. Soul Red Crystal Metallic and Machine Gray Metallic still cost $595, while Polymetal Gray Metallic and Snowflake White Pearl Mica still cost $395.
